Case Number 25318: Small Claims Court

GARROW'S LAW: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

The Charge

"The prisoner in the dock has been far too long left to his fate for want of
counsel." -William Garrow

The Case

Talk about your unlikely heroes.

Garrow's Law: The Complete Collection groups together all twelve
episodes of the bright yet understated BBC series, which brought the legend of
barrister William Garrow -- played with sly wit, a twinkle in the eye, and
copious hair extensions by Andrew Buchan -- out of mothballed oblivion and shone
a much-deserved spotlight on his unique contributions to our modern system of
justice.

British-born Garrow (1760-1840) rose from humble beginnings to pre-eminence
in London's legendary Old Bailey, once the bulwark of England's legal
establishments. We have Garrow to thank for making "defense counsel" a regular
part of our trial process, but before you start groaning about overpaid
sleazeballs who routinely keep mobsters and corporate sharks from getting the
justice they truly deserve, keep in mind that English court rooms in the
eighteenth century were the last place you wanted to be if you were targeted by
the prosecution.

Long before the practice of providing legal aid for those who couldn't
afford it, those accused who were too poor to lawyer up usually went
down...hard. The number of hang-able offenses was staggering (ripping someone
else's clothes, for example, got you a trip to the gallows), and it wasn't until
the advent of Garrow that due process allowed for presumption of innocence until
proven guilty, and that hearsay was deemed inadmissible in court.

Garrow became famous (some might say infamous) for his dramatic flair,
routinely subjecting prosecution witnesses on the stand to a severe London
broiling, and thus raising the spectre of reasonable doubt.

But don't get the idea that Garrow's Law is nothing but powdered wigs
and procedure; far from it. By cherry-picking cases from the Old Bailey's
records and engaging in a bit of dramatic license, this short-lived series
managed to find time for suspense, politics, and even a bit of illicit romance
between our avenging attorney and one Lady Sarah Hill (Lyndsey Marshal,
Rome), a married woman with child and a well-connected husband (Rupert
Graves, Death At A Funeral) with blood in his eye and a judge in his
pocket.

How much of this can actually be believed? A helpful extra titled "William
Garrow: Fact and Fiction" is on hand to help you sort things out. Additional
extras include two behind-the-scenes featurettes, photo galleries, cast
biographies and yet another (brief) bio of the real Garrow's storied career.
Acorn Media's anamorphic widescreen presentation does these episodes proud with
clean, detailed images, and a fine a 2.0 stereo audio track for accompaniment.
Though most of the court regulars are particularly well-spoken, English
subtitles have been provided to ensure maximum understanding.